Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang is unwell and the country’s senior diplomat will take his place at a two-day summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this week in Jakarta, Indonesia, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin gave no details of what was ailing Qin, who has not been seen in public in more than two weeks.

“State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang is unable to attend this series of foreign ministers’ meetings due to health reasons,” Wang said at a daily briefing Tuesday.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan is facing a long-delayed reckoning with sexual harassment and sexual violence. In the past month, people have stepped forward with accusations, one after the other, leading to criminal investigations, resignations at different levels of government, and a society-wide discussion of the unspoken rules that govern gender norms in society.

TOKYO (AP) — Torrential rain pounded southwestern Japan, triggering floods and mudslides and leaving two people dead and at least six others missing, officials said Monday.

Rain falling in the regions of Kyushu and Chugoku since the weekend caused flooding along many rivers, triggered mudslides, closed roads, disrupted trains and cut the water supply in some areas.

BANGKOK (AP) — The dismembered body of a missing German businessman was found in a freezer inside a house in southern Thailand, police said Tuesday.

Tawee Kudthalaeng, the police chief in the town of Nong Prue, said the body of 62-year-old Hans-Peter Mack was discovered at about 11 p.m. Monday. Mack had been missing for a week.

Investigators located his body by using security camera videos from the area, Tawee said. He did not elaborate, but photos and video published by Thai media showed the freezer in the bed of a black truck with a man squatting next to it.

BEIJING, July 10. /TASS/: The trade turnover between China and Russia may exceed $200 bln by year-end 2023, Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Federation Council, or senate in Russia’s parliament, said after a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

BEIJING, July 10. /TASS/: Beijing is ready to join efforts with Moscow to contribute to building a prosperous, stable and just world order, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said on Monday.

"China is ready to continue working with Russia <…> in order to contribute to developing and reviving both countries as well as to build a prosperous, stable and just world order," China’s CCTV quoted Xi as saying at a meeting with Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko in Beijing.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia and India reaffirmed commitments to further enhance defence cooperation, particularly in military-to-military cooperation and defence science, technology and industry.

This was achieved during the meeting between Malaysian Defence Minister Mohamad Hasan and his visiting counterpart from India, Shri Rajnath Singh at the Ministry of Defence, here Monday.

Shri Rajnath Singh arrived Sunday for a four-day introductory visit to Malaysia.

BEIJING, July 10 (Reuters) - A 25-year-old man was suspected of attacking a kindergarten in China's Guangdong province on Monday, killing six people and injuring one, triggering an outpouring of concern about violence against children at school.

Media reported the attack in Lianjiang county in the southern province was a stabbing. The suspect, with the surname Wu and from Lianjiang, had been detained, police said, adding they were investigating.

Some media reported that both adults and children were among the victims.

PHNOM PENH, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Monday urged NATO member states and U.S. allies to oppose the U.S. plan to send cluster munitions to Ukraine.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s industry minister visited the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant on Monday to see equipment that is to be used to release treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean to ensure the safety of the contentious plan, while demonstrators, including many from South Korea, rallied against it.